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Visitor Comments: 8

(4)
jerusalemmommy,
February 18, 2014 5:12 PM

A little disturbing

Since it was an accident, we could assume maybe people were injured, and in that sense it might be in bad taste to dance and be so happy when people might be suffering...

Shabse,
February 18, 2014 9:44 PM

Jerusalem Mommy:

Lighten up. There was nothing that they could do for the injured except to daven for them. On the other hand there were plenty of drivers around them suffering from the almost endless wait. They brought a bit of cheer to those people - and ultimately to a much wider audience. Entirely appropriate.

Mi k'amcha Yisroel - who is like your people Israel!!

Michael Mendershausen,
February 18, 2014 11:28 PM

Not disturbing in the least.

To Jerusalemmommy--You know it was an accident? There is a mitzvah in the Torah called "Judging others favorably." This means if we see someone in a wrongdoing, we must first to stop, think, and consider if perhaps we are missing one crucial factor, that changes the story from the way it appears. Maybe those men were also praying that no one was hurt if there were an accident? You're so quick to judge others when you know nothing of the situation.

Mati,
February 20, 2014 7:23 AM

On the other hand...

....how do they know it was an accident? Or how do they know the accident took life?

(3)
rinah,
February 18, 2014 3:40 PM

Well done guys!

This ought to be our attitude in times of difficulty. You understand the calling of Am Israel...to be a light to the Nations. There is a higher reason why the traffic was halted. It pays to rejoice in times of difficulty, even if just to lift the spirits of others around one (this is turn will lift one's own spirit).

(2)
Mrs. D,
February 18, 2014 3:26 PM

Complete with dancing on the roof!

They don't get the whole context. These guys are doing the Na-Nach shpiel, right on the I-80. Great!

(1)
Refael Avraham Yitzchok,
February 18, 2014 2:46 PM

Ivdu Et HaShem B'Simcha

Simcha-Happiness is an important part of our Jewish faith, religion and the service of G-D. King David in Psalm 100 says, "Ivdu et Hashem B'Simcha bo'u l'fanav birnana," - "Serve G-D with happiness, come before Him with joyous song." Every mitzvah performed with happiness not only enhances the mitzvah, it also shows our appreciation to G-D for the opportunity to observe it. Our sages tell us that Simcha (happiness) comes from Kedusha (holiness), whereas sadness and dejection comes from the "other side."

Similarly, say our sages, every person finds himself in the middle of a constant battle between good and evil. Therefore, a person must always be on guard to make the right decisions. However, this can only be achieved when the person is in control. To be in full control, one must think positive, feel positive and be happy.

"Think good and it will be good!" a great Rebbe told his Chassid.The Chassid had a child who was so ill that the doctors had allgiven up hope. However, the Chassid listened to the Rebbe'sdirective and only thought positive. Eventually, his son becamewell.

"Throughout my life," the Chassid told his friends, "wheneverthere was a problem whether in health or business, I alwaysremembered the Rebbe's command, "Think good and it will be good."

I didn't let the negative thoughts overcome me. I would thinkpositive, and just like the Rebbe predicted, things would turnout positive."

We are in the month of Adar so we should remember to increase in happiness, think positive and things will be positive!

Miriam Perl,
February 18, 2014 5:18 PM

wow im so impressed this is hashems nation which we use our time to give nachas for Hashem by bein gbashimacha makes him happy me kasmacha yisroel!!!!!!!!!! REmember ke vashimcaha zitzie only with simcha you can get out with any haredships you have a big lesson in life i myself whenmt through alot in my life and only with tool i manged to get out from my hardships and be able to continue to serve hasehem on a healthy away and only with simcha! seeing this dancing gives such chisuck!!!! thank you Thank you for inspiring me im sure the rest of the peope who sees it is really inspired. Thanks a lot again hashem should give you lots of bsd you should always be haappy in your life and always be able to serve Hashem with the big mitzva of basimcha!!!!!!!! remember a Big smile to put on you r face soen't cost any mone it just takes a second to opened bright wide Tahnks again!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love Miriam

I always loved the story of Jonah and the whale. Why do we read it during the afternoon service of Yom Kippur?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Let's recap the story: God tells Jonah to go to Ninveh and to prophesy that in 40 days, God will destroy the city. Instead, Jonah goes to Jaffa, boards a ship, and sails for Tarshish. A great storm arises. Frightened, Jonah goes to sleep in the ship's hold. The sailors somehow recognize that Jonah is responsible for the storm. They throw him overboard, and the sea becomes calm.

A great fish swallows Jonah. Then three days later, God commands the fish to spit Jonah back out upon dry land. God tells Jonah, "Let's try it again. Go to Ninveh and tell them in 40 days I will destroy the city."

The story is a metaphor for our struggle for clarity. Jonah is the soul. The soul is assigned to sanctify the world, and draw it close to God. But we are seduced by the world's beauty. (Jaffa in Hebrew means "beauty.") The ship is the body, the sea is the world, and the storm is life's pains and troubles. God hopes confrontation with mortality will inspire us to examine our lives. But Jonah's is the more common response - we go to sleep (have a beer, turn on the television). The sailors throw Jonah overboard - this is death. The fish that swallows Jonah is the grave. Jonah is spat back upon the land - reincarnation. And the Almighty tells us to try again. "Go sanctify the world and bring it close to God."

Each of us is born with an opportunity and a challenge. We each have unique gifts to offer the world and unique challenges to perfect ourselves. If we leave the task unfinished the first time, we get a second chance. Jonah teaches us that repentance can reverse a harsh decree. If the residents of Ninveh had the ability to correct their mistakes and do teshuva, how much more so do we have the ability to correct our former mistakes and do teshuva.

(source: "The Bible for the Clueless But Curious," by Rabbi Nachum Braverman)

In 1948, Egypt launched a large-scale offensive against the Negev region of Israel. This was part of the War of Independence, an attack by five Arab armies designed to "drive the Jews into the sea." Though the Jews were under-armed, untrained, and few in number, through ingenuity and perseverance they staved off the attacks and secured the borders. Yet the price was high -- Israel lost 6,373 of its people, a full one percent of the Jewish population of Israel at the time.

And what does teshuvah consist of? [Repentance to the degree] that the One Who knows all that is hidden will testify that he will never again repeat this sin(Maimonides, Laws of Teshuvah 2:2).

"How can this be?" ask the commentaries. "Inasmuch as man always has free choice to do good or evil, to sin or not to sin, how can God testify that a person will never repeat a particular sin? Is this not a repudiation of one's free will?"

The answer to this came to me at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, at which the speaker, a man who had been sober for twenty-one years, said, "The man I was drank. The man I was will drink again. But now I am a different man."

A sin does not occur in a vacuum. A person who is devout does not abruptly decide to eat treifah. A sin occurs when a person is in such a state that a particular act is not anathema to him.

Consequently, repentance is not complete if one merely regrets having done wrong. One must ask, "How did this sin ever come about? In what kind of a state was I that permitted me to commit this sin?"

True repentance thus consists of changing one's character to the point where, as the person is now, one can no longer even consider doing the forbidden act. Of course, the person's character may deteriorate - and if it does, he may sin again.

God does not testify that the person will never repeat the sin, but rather that his degree of repentance and correction of his character defects are such that, as long as he maintains his new status, he will not commit that sin.

Today I shall...

try to understand how I came to do those things that I regret having done, and bring myself to a state where such acts will be alien to me.

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